


Dust In The Wind

by TheVagabondBoy



Category: Avengers: Infinity War - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/M, Grief, Harm to Children, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Loss of Child(ren), Loss of Parent(s), Post-Infinity War, basically what clints up to during IW
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-05 07:01:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14612235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheVagabondBoy/pseuds/TheVagabondBoy
Summary: He wanted to go, help his friends and help the world and figure out what the fuck was going on. He wished he could call Nat. Or Steve.Anyonewho might have a clue what to do.





	Dust In The Wind

**Author's Note:**

> im sorry
> 
> (inspired by me finding out that clints gonna be in the next movie)

It was hard to follow things from home. The news coverage was spotty at best. No one knew what the hell was going on. All they had were guesses and hypotheses.

It made the tether on his ankle feel like it weighed a ton. Clint wanted to help. Tony was missing and the spider kid was nowhere to be seen either, and that wizard guy had been taken away, and everyone else was God knows where. Everything was a fucking mess and Clint was stuck in his house.

He wanted to stay, but he wanted to go. He wanted to stay, hoping and praying to God that he would be enough to protect his family. He wanted to go, help his friends and help the world and figure out what the fuck was going on. He wished he could call Nat. Or Steve.  _ Anyone _ who might have a clue what to do.

Either way, Clint thanked God Laura and the kids were home when it started. At least he could keep them at home then, and do his best to protect them. They didn’t understand what was going on either, but they were looking to him for guidance. He was supposed to be the one who always knew what to do when the world was turned upside down.

They moved down to the basement quickly. They had the tornado shelter down there, stocked and ready, and it would be good enough. Clint moved the dining room table and tore up the floor boards under it. Those government assholes had confiscated any and all weapons he had had hidden around the house when the put him under house arrest, but Clint knew to always keep a few things up his sleeve. No bow, but a few handguns and a assault rifle, plenty of ammunition too.

They tucked the kids into one of the beds. Laura sat with them, cradling the baby with one arm and one hand on her gun. Clint was by the radio. He kept the volume low as he flipped through the channels. He didn’t want the kids too hear any of that bad shit.

He took watch during the night, of course.

Laura slept with her gun under her pillow. 

The radio was no help. No one had any idea what was happening.

There was word of Steve and a few others being spotted in Scotland.

He couldn’t listen to this anymore. He shut off the radio again.

The kids couldn’t sleep. He paced with the baby in his arms, rocking him gently. Nate could sleep, though. The little thing didn’t even know anything was out of the ordinary. Clint almost wished they could all be that oblivious. The kids tried to sleep too, holding each other tight.

“I’m scared, dad.” Lila whispered.

Clint’s heart ached. He sat down at the foot of the bed. Nate snored against his chest. Lila and Cooper looked up at their father with big, wet eyes. He couldn’t stand seeing them so terrified.

“I know, baby. But they’ll figure it out.” Clint said. “You remember Steve, right? Him and Aunt Tasha will take care of things. They’ll save the world.”

“We know, dad, but...it’s still scary.” Cooper said softly.

“I know it’s scary now. But we’re safe here. I’ll protect you. I’ll always protect you. You know that, right?” He said, trying to give them a reassuring smile. “Just...try to get some sleep, okay?”

They both nodded. Clint gave them each a soft kiss on the head and tucked them in under the covers.

He got up and paced again.

With no windows and no clocks and the radio turned off, it was hard to keep track of time. He wasn’t sure how long they slept and he paced.

Soon enough though, Laura woke up and the kids too. Nate cried. Laura took him and fed him. Clint prepared some of the canned stuff for Lila and Cooper. Going by their faces, they didn’t enjoy it all too much, but they knew it wouldn’t help to complain.

He turned on the radio again, just to see if there were any news about what was happening. Seemed like things were still a mess.

He heard some talk about Wakanda.

Aliens? God, a whole army of them...

The details were still fuzzy. 

Something happened.

All of a sudden, the news caster went into a panic. What the hell? He was screaming. Something about...people turning to ash? What?

“Mommy? Daddy?”

Clint turned around, eyes landing on Cooper. He stared at the boy.

His skin...his skin was pale and ashy, cracking open. Even without windows, there seemed to be a breeze. Cooper fell apart, ash in the wind.

_ “Cooper!” _ Clint screamed.

He was across the room in a flash, on his knees in front of his son. He tried to grab Cooper’s arm, to keep him from  _ disappearing, _ but his hands went through him. Cooper stared at him with wide eyes, shocked at his own demise. Clint was screaming, Laura was screaming, Lila was screaming, Nate wailed.

Then, where Cooper had stood, there was only a mess of ash on the floor.

It was all over Clint’s hands. He could feel it, cold as ice, creeping into every little crack in his skin. He stared at his hands.

He looked up. Where was Lila and Nate and Laura? He had to make sure they were okay. Oh, God, what was happening?

Laura?

No...no, no, no, not Laura too!

He and Lila were by her side as fast as they could. Laura clutched the baby to her chest, hands falling to pieces as she did. She shoved the baby into Clint’s arms, crying and screaming at him to take care of Nate and Lila.

But she wasn’t halfway gone, before the ash poured from the bundle of blankets. She stared at Nate in Clint’s arms. Clint stared too. Lila was screaming for her mommy.

Another gust of non-existant wind blew through the shelter.

Laura faded.

Nate faded.

Their voices seemed to echo.

Clint held the blanket tight. The ash fell to the floor. Lila was clawing at his side, begging for her father to protect her. Clint let go of the blanket. He collapsed to his knees and grabbed Lila. He pulled her to himself, hugging her tight. She cried into his shoulder and he cried into hers.

Oh, God...

They were gone. They were just... _ gone. _

**Author's Note:**

> IM SORRY


End file.
